


Madeleine

by TheSprout



Category: Naruto
Genre: Light Angst, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 09:22:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12251517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSprout/pseuds/TheSprout
Summary: Boruto reminds Sasuke of memories he had put aside.





	Madeleine

**Author's Note:**

> A tiny, tiny ficlet to thank [viasatellite](http://viasatellite.tumblr.com/) for the [fic](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12630373/1/definitely-your-daughter) (s)he wrote about my naruto [shitpost](http://kageyosenojutsu.tumblr.com/post/164519299266) (seriously stop reblogging this thing it's gone too far my blog has five followers including the main blog).
> 
> I don't usually write for Naruto, I hope it's ok anyway.

Sasuke’s cloak flew in the wind as he knocked on the door sharply. He had never managed to arrange an actual training schedule with his student, and after a few weeks Boruto knew better than to make his master wait when he showed up unannounced at the Uzumaki house. The boy stumbled down the stairs with his sweater pulled only over one arm and his forehead protector sliding sideways over his eye as if was about to summon ninja dogs and read them erotic extracts. Sasuke watched Boruto sit down in the entrance to put on his shoes and turned to leave, knowing his student would be on his heels. He was already a few steps away when he heard a high-pitched voice.

“Big brother pleaaase, let me come and train with you!” Himawari said as her brother zipped up his jacket.

Boruto stood up to face her and had a tired smile. Sasuke looked back over his shoulder and watched him raise his hand and poke his little sister on the forehead.

“Sorry Himawari, maybe next time.”

When Boruto looked up he felt slightly embarrassed. His master was always very dark and mysterious, showing little to no emotions besides annoyance and boredom. Boruto had once caught what looked like a focused expression during shuriken practice but then again, it could as well have been nausea. This time however it was as if he had seen something he was not supposed to see.

 

Oh, it had been a while since Sasuke’s heart had last tightened like this. During his years on mission alone outside the village he had had time to come to term with his feelings. He had had entire months to remember his family. Weeks to mourn his loved ones, nights to finally accept his pain. He used to be free to sit down and recall his terrible choices, and quietly suffer the consequences, or learn to live with them. On the road there was no one to judge him, no one to question his actions or blame his past mistakes. Only himself.

Now it was different. Since he was back in the village he was never alone anymore, and the fragile inner balance he had found after months of meditation was constantly disturbed.

His days were spent in the Hokage’s office trying to protect the village, from foreign threats and from Naruto’s foolishness. When they were done with a problem Shikamaru usually already had five other issues on his list, three of them involving other villages, one only described as “Orochimaru”, and one scribbled at the bottom of the notebook by Naruto and being the rise in the prices at Ichiraku’s.

His evenings were for Sarada, even though he would never be able to make up for the years of her childhood he had missed. He would teach her the arts of the Uchiha, how to throw five shurikens with two fingers, how to burn down the house, how to wield her sharingan. One day Iruka Sensei asked to see Sarada’s parents and Sakura forced Sasuke to go. With a pang of emotion he learned that Sarada had a gift for genjutsu, and nothing but pride resonated when he scolded her for trapping Boruto in an infinite 8am class.

After all of this Sasuke’s nights belonged to Sakura, and she had clearly taken an oath to live every moment with her husband to the fullest. Knowing he could disappear overnight she made sure he never slept too early or wasted time in bed reading a book. Sure, he would have liked to sleep in on the weekends, but he was not the kind to complain, and he bravely accepted his fate.

Not a minute was left in his days for the memory of his family. He felt guilty not to think about them as often as he used to. After over a decade and although the passing time slowly blurred his recollections he still missed his parents. It was however not them who caused him the most trouble. Every time he thought about Itachi his chest hurt a little. There was always a thought in his head, a cowardly voice that told him that Itachi had planned his own end, and that his disease would have taken him anyway, but Sasuke fought hard not to ignore the guilt he knew he deserved.

Often Sasuke wondered if they would one day be reunited when his own time would come. He wondered if Itachi still watched over him like he himself kept looking up to his older brother. One day they would meet again, it could not be otherwise.

For a second in front of the Uzumaki house Sasuke recalled all of this, and maybe it was the wind, but he could have sworn he had felt his brother poke his forehead once again.

 

Boruto remained silent as he watched Sasuke stand a few feet away, turned only three quarters of the way toward his student, his cloak flapping against his legs. His head was down and half hidden by his raised hand. His index and middle fingers touched his forehead briefly and brushed past his nose and his chin as he let his hand down.

“I’m ready to go,’ the teenager said gingerly, seeing that his master wasn’t paying attention.

Sasuke looked up and stared at Boruto for a few seconds.

“Training is cancelled,” he said slowly.

“But I’m ready! I took less than a minute, we can go!”

“Stay home and play with your sister until she gets tired. I’ll ask her for a report next time I stop by.”

And Boruto did not bother asking for explanation, because just like he expected, Sasuke was gone before he could blink.

**Author's Note:**

> Come and see me on [Tumblr](http://kageyosenojutsu.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
